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City vies for multimillion-dollar prize

A public input session Wednesday, Feb. 7 will give residents a say on what local problem should get lots of government money to tackle.

Mayor Christian Provenzano asked, “Do people want to improve how we move around our city, our communication infrastructure, the way the city operates its facilities or delivers specific services?”

The federal government has put up The Smart Cities Challenge, a nation-wide competition with a grand prize of $50 million. Failing that, Sault Ste. Marie could qualify as winner of one of two prizes of up to $10 million, says a media release from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Communities.

Tom Vair, deputy CAO of Community Development and Enterprise Services, explained the Smart Cities Challenge.

“As defined by the federal government, this challenge aims to empower communities to address local issues their residents face through new partnerships, using a smart cities approach.

“A smart cities approach means achieving meaningful outcomes for residents through the use of data and connected technology.”

Although that technology does not necessarily mean artificial intelligence (AI), “if the community deems AI to be important then we will certainly consider it,” said Vair.

“There are a number of technologies that could be used in our smart cities project that wouldn’t necessarily incorporate AI.”

One formal meeting is scheduled for Feb. 7 from 1 to 3 p.m. for local residents to give their ideas for the city’s application, but Vair expects more meetings in the future and other opportunities for input.

“In the meantime, residents are encouraged to provide feedback and they may email suggestions to myself at t.vair@cityssm.on.ca or alternatively, tweet us using the hash tag #ssmsmartcities.”

Provenzano heads up a task force that includes city staff and Coun. Steve Butland to develop the city’s application. He hopes local residents will provide input on what they’d like to see the city tackle.

“We have to land on a problem we want to solve, so I really want to get a sense of what people would like addressed and some of the ways they think it could be addressed,” he told Sault This Week.

“We want to hear from members of our community about the challenges they are facing and how the city could be helpful in addressing them.”

Vair said, “We are open to any ideas residents would like to submit. There is no one formula that can be applied to respond… Every idea, big or small, will be considered if we can apply a smart approach to it.”

Provenzano said public input is an important part of the process.

“A productive consultation phase will help us formulate our submission, using smart technologies as a means to address challenges identified by people in our city,” he said.

Consultation also is part of the criteria presented by Ottawa in issuing the challenge.

The mayor added, “Along with resolving issues, we want to use the funding provided through the Smart Cities Challenge to expedite the advancement of technology in our city.

“Companies in the IT sector want to locate in Smart Cities and we have some work to get there.

“A compelling submission comprised of community-developed solutions to community-identified concerns will help us get there, and in turn create jobs in growing sectors,” said Provenzano.

Vair said the amount of feedback the city receives when it puts out such calls for input have no “normal.”

It depends on the issue being discussed, but “It will be interesting to see the level of involvement from the community.”

City staff has been developing a number of ideas for the challenge, but Vair didn’t want to get into the specifics because of the competitive nature of the challenge and to prevent “constraining the thinking from the community.”

In addition to seeking public input, the city also is working with community groups and looking at past work.

“We are really fortunate because we can rely on the great consultation work we did through the adjustment committee process,” said Provenzano.

“That will form a part of this process and ultimately our submission. So far, we have engaged the PUC, SSMIC, Acorn, and SSMEDC… Additionally, we are reaching out to local businesses and sector experts.”

Provenzano explained what the final decision-making process will look like.

“After we receive input from the public, members of the taskforce will sort through the feedback and prioritize selected suggestions based on the feasibility they can be solved using smart technologies,” he said.

“The Smart Cities Challenge calls on cities to achieve a measurable, positive impact on their communities. The taskforce needs to develop a submission that clearly illustrates what can be accomplished and articulates how to get there.

“My goal is to be ambitious and aim high,” Provenzano said.

“I would like to develop a submission that will see us champion a large and potentially transformative project. It is not often you have a chance to win $10 million to spend on improving your community.

“Once we identify the challenge we want to address and develop the smart solution (or solutions), I expect the entire submission will go to council for its support and endorsement.”

The Smart Cities Challenge is open to all municipalities, local or regional governments, and Indigenous communities across Canada.

Applications must be submitted by April 24, and finalists will be announced in the summer.

The Challenge’s website says each of those finalists will receive $250,000 to develop their final proposal, which will be due in Winter 2019 and final winners will be announced Spring 2019.

One grand prize of up to $50 million is open to all communities, two prizes of up to $10 million are open to communities with populations under 500,000, and one prize of up to $5 million is available to communities with populations under 30,000.